Thursday, November 29, 2012

Two officers from the two sides are exchanging views during the interval of the tabletop exercise. (PLA Daily/Yang Liming)

A joint tabletop exercise of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief between the Chinese and American armed forces was held in Chengdu,capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan province, from Nov. 29 to 30, 2012. The drill subject is joint humanitarian rescue and disaster relief after earthquake, and the drill includes four stages such as task initiation, force projection, joint rescue and relief operation, and task handover and evacuation. This is the 8th humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction exchange activity held by the Chinese and American armed forces since 1997. Military personnel from the two countries participated in the drill. (China Military Online/Yang Liming, Dong Zhaohui)

Liang said that China will always advocate an active, sincere and practical attitude with friendliness in order to enhance talks between the two militaries. He added that they should cooperate in areas of mutual interest and manage disparities when conflicts appear.

Noting that the military ties are an important part of the state-to-state relations, Liang called for equality, mutual benefit and practical collaboration while developing a new type of relationship between the two militaries.

Mabus said the U.S. navy will continue to cooperate and exchange with the Chinese side in areas such as counter-piracy and joint drills.

He also expressed the U.S. commitment in developing cooperative partnerships with China.

The two senior officials also discussed maritime security.

It is the first time Mabus has visited China since taking office. During his four-day tour, he will also travel to east China's Ningbo City to visit a new Chinese frigate and conventional powered submarine.

Editor:Chen Jie

Qi Jianguo meets with U.S. military delegation

(Source: China Military Online) 2012-11-27

Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), met with the humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction delegation of the United States Armed Forces headed by Stephen Lyons on the morning of November 26, 2012 in Beijing.

Qi Jianguo said that China-U.S. relations currently maintain stable momentum of development on the whole. The two sides are devoting themselves to establishing China-U.S. cooperative partnership on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit and striving to explore the establishment of a new relationship between the two big powers. The Chinese and the U.S. militaries are expected to focus closely on the goal and requirement of building up the new relationship between the two big powers, earnestly implement the consensus reached by defense and military leaders of the two countries, strengthen dialogue, enhance mutual trust, get over interference, promote cooperation and try to put the new military relationship into practice. He spoke positively of the important role of the exchange mechanism for humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction of the two militaries in enhancing mutual trust and advancing the development of the relations between the two militaries, and hoped that the two militaries would constantly promote bilateral cooperation and enhance mutual understanding and trust.

Lyons expressed that the two militaries shoulder great responsibility in maintaining regional peace and security. The U.S. military hopes to exchange its views on humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction with the Chinese side to learn from each other, so as to jointly promote the development of the relations between the two militaries.

The U.S. delegation will also visit southwest China’s Yunnan province and Chengdu city of southwest China’s Sichuan province, and conduct joint indoor-deducing on humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction with the leading organs under the Chengdu Military Area Command (MAC) of the PLA. This is the 8th humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction exchange between the two militaries.

The fleet is carrying out round-the-clock sailing and defense, open sea combat and supply, escort, as well as search and rescue programs.

The fleet comprises of two guided missile destroyers, two missile frigates, a supply ship and shipboard helicopters.

Fleet Commander Qiu Yanpeng, deputy commander of the navy's East China Sea Fleet, said the routine exercise will also be among the fleet's moves to follow the guidelines set by the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The training aims to improve the troops' capabilities for long-time, long-distance sea operations and boost confidence for sea missions, according to Qiu.

Conducting training in international waters has been normal practice of different navies of the world, which is in line with international laws.

China's navy has conducted several training exercises in the West Pacific this year.

Editor:Chen Jie

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

This year's annual Okinawa cruise is a month early

A China Navy Task force of two DDG, two FFG and one LPD spotted 650KM South West of Okinawa two days ago.

Every formation is a parade -- Knowing EP3 of the Japanese "SD"
overhead, the China Navy has the common neighborly courtesy of lining up
for their mug shot.

168.。。169.。。。。568.。。。。569.。。。。998.。。。。。 What? where is the AOR?

Thursday, June 09, 2011

PLAN's annual Okinawa cruise.

So far so good -- no bird flipping incident against the shadowing
Japanese fleet reported. Last year's cruise, on the other hand, almost
caused an international incident.

PLA navy to conduct drill in west Pacific int'l waters in mid to late June

(Source: Xinhua) 2011-06-10

BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhua) -- A navy fleet of the Chinese People's
Liberation Army (PLA) will conduct a training drill in west Pacific
international waters in mid- to late June, according to a press release
issued Thursday by the Chinese Defense Ministry.

The press release said that the training is in line with relevant
international laws and is not targeted at any specific country, in
response to reports saying that Chinese navy ships previously passed
through waters between Japan's islands of Okinawa and Miyako.

"This will be a regular drill according to the annual plan (of the PLA)," said the press release.

A Chinese Navy helicopter likely was ignoring orders from its own
mother ship when it flew within 100 meters of a Maritime Self-Defense
Force destroyer on April 8, according to Defense Ministry sources.

The pilot's actions suggest that orders may not be rigorously followed
within the Chinese Navy, and Defense Ministry officials are concerned
that such insubordination could increase the possibility of accidents.

According to the sources, the incident occurred when the Chinese fleet
was engaged in training exercises from April 7 to Friday. A total of 10
warships and submarines, including guided missile destroyers, traveled
from the East China Sea through the Okinawa islands to waters off
Okinotorishima island, the southernmost point in Japan, in the western
Pacific Ocean.

The MSDF sent two destroyers and a P-3C surveillance aircraft to monitor the activities of the fleet.

On the morning of April 8, the carrier-based helicopter approached an
MSDF destroyer when the fleet was practicing the takeoff and landing of
its helicopters in the central area of the East China Sea.

When the helicopter took off from a guided missile destroyer, it was
about 4,000 meters away from the MSDF destroyer Suzunami. As the
chopper flew closer to the Suzunami, the destroyer ordered it several
times by radio not to fly any closer to the Japanese destroyers.

However, the helicopter ignored the orders and continued toward the
Suzunami. Ultimately the helicopter was only about 90 meters away from
the Suzunami at a height of about 30 meters, lower than the destroyer's
mast.

On Wednesday, a Chinese Navy helicopter approached an MSDF destroyer
south of the Okinawa Island. This time, the helicopter circled around
the destroyer Asayuki twice.

A senior Defense Ministry official said it is possible the helicopter
ignored the instructions of its fleet in the second case as well.

"If a Chinese helicopter goes out of control and collides with one of
our destroyers, anti-Japanese sentiment will flare up in China. We need
to establish rules to prevent accidents on the open sea," the official
said.
(Apr. 27, 2010)

Beijing's new ambassador to Tokyo rejected a Japanese protest Tuesday
over Chinese military helicopters twice making fly-bys near Japanese
naval destroyers, blaming Japan for the row, AFP reported Tuesday.

The helicopter fly-bys took place near Japan's Okinawa island this
month - on April 9 and 21 - when Japanese naval ships spotted and
followed the largest Chinese flotilla of warships so far to sail
between Japanese islands.

Cheng Yonghua, the new ambassador, said China's naval drills in the
waters off Japan are conducted "in accordance with international
rules," adding that China is devoted to boosting transparency regarding
its military buildup by releasing a defense white paper and through
other means, according to the Kyodo News Agency.

"How would the Japanese people feel if there was a Japanese drill and
the Japanese left port and were then annoyingly chased by Chinese
destroyers? That breaches the spirit of mutual understanding and mutual
trust," AFP quoted Cheng as saying at the Japan National Press Club.

Tokyo has lodged a protest through diplomatic channels over what it
considered "dangerous" approaches by Chinese vessel-borne helicopters
toward Japanese destroyers, which were said to be deployed for
surveillance of Chinese vessels.

According to Kyodo, though China has explained to Japan that the
approaches were a "necessary defense measure" in response to Japanese
surveillance activities, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Friday
that he was "not convinced" by the explanation.

"Japan is overreacting on this issue," Peng Guangqian, an expert at the
PLA Academy of Military Science, told the Global Times. "Those Chinese
Navy vessels were carrying out normal military drills on the high seas
rather than other locations. Japan needs to maintain a proper stance
toward other countries' normal military exercises held there."

"This incident also indicates that China and Japan have not set up firm
mutual trust. Both sides need to be devoted to strengthening the
bilateral relationship further in a bid to decrease unnecessary
misunderstandings and conflicts," Peng added.

Cheng was also asked to comment on an ongoing row between the US and
Japan over where to relocate an unpopular US airbase on Okinawa.

"China is not in a position to comment, but the military arrangement
between Japan and the US should not be aimed against a third country. …
I mean China," the ambassador said, according to AFP.

Agencies contributed to this story

Thursday, June 09, 2011

This year's PLAN training task force.

This year's PLAN training task force in west Pacific compose of three
DDGs (136, 137 and 138) one FFG (548) one AGI (851) one supply ship
(882) and one tugboat, (830). A force that is much smaller compare to
last year's.

Last year's task force:

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

North Sea Fleet conducts exercise off the Malacca Strait

They
stopped by Okinawa to say hello, but someone forgot to remind the PLAN
to call ahead before dropping by with 3 destroyers (DDG 115, DDG137,
DDG139), 5 frigates and 2 subs. Now the Japanese government is all
excited. Anyway, the PLA daily write-up can be found (here)

The real news here is that the North Sea Fleet is conducting a military exercise off the Malacca Strait.

Two Chinese submarines and eight destroyers were spotted by the
Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force on Saturday in the high seas
between the main island of Okinawa and Miyako Island in the
southernmost prefecture, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said
Tuesday.

The defense chief said the Chinese submarines and destroyers were
navigating southeastward, adding that Tokyo has never before confirmed
such a large number of Chinese vessels near Japan. "We will investigate
whether (China) has any intention against our nation" by dispatching
the vessels, Kitazawa said.

The Joint Staff Office of the Self-Defense Forces later said that
Chinese submarines were seen on the sea surface near Japan for the
first time and that Beijing had not notified Tokyo of the fleet
navigation in the East China Sea toward the Pacific Ocean.

The
report mentions that the air cushion ship, he hull of which is
probably damaged beyond repair, was the first of four ordered by China.
There is now fear that China may cancel the contract (they would be
following the Greek precedent). It adds that most of the employees of
More are engaged in St. Petersburg (obviously Almaz shipyard) and in
China, where they are building a shipyard analogous to the one in
Feodosiya (really?).

Friday, July 02, 2010

The Zubr deal has been finalized.

The last update on the Zubr deal transpired in April 2010 (here). after a prolonged negotiation, the deal seems to have finalized.

Blueprints are to be handed over to the Chinese side under the project, according to some sources

Expect a Chinese export variant coming to a trade-show soon.

(Thanks dylan for the news)

KYIV.
July 1 (Interfax-AVN) - The implementation of a contract to build
high-speed hovercrafts of the Zubr-type for China at the Morye shipyard
in Feodosia will start in September, Prime Minister of Crimea Vasyl
Dzharty said.

"The construction of the first two hovercrafts will begin in September," Dzharty said at the shipyard.

Crimea and Ukraine continue looking for new orders for Feodosia shipyards, he said.

"I think orders will come from Russia and from Ukraine," he added.

Earlier
reports said that a $350 million contract for the construction of
four high-speed amphibious hovercrafts of the Zubr-type for China was
concluded by Ukrainian arms trader Ukrspetsexport in 2009.

Two
were to be built in Ukraine and two in China with Ukrainian experts'
participation. Blueprints are to be handed over to the Chinese side
under the project, according to some sources.

Ukraine,
Russia and Greece signed a trilateral contract in January 2000 for the
delivery of four similar hovercrafts to Greece - two by Ukraine and
two by Russia, worth a total of about $200 million. The contract with
Ukraine was worth about $97 million and with Russia some $101 million.

The
high-speed amphibious hovercraft of the Zubr-type is capable of
carrying 150 tons of cargo, including up to three medium tanks, or 500
Marines. The hovercraft can develop a speed of over 60 knots (about
120 kilometers per hour) on land, water and ice. It can tackle
obstacles of up to 1.5 meters high. Zubr has five 5 hp gas turbines.

BEIJING, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Belarusian airborne troops started their second joint training drills on Monday in China, according to China's Ministry of National Defense.

The joint exercise will be conducted in accordance with the exchange and cooperation programs agreed upon between the two militaries.

During the 12-day exercise ending on Dec. 7, parachuting special forces from both sides will accomplish the planned task in two stages, consisting of mixed group training and integrated exercises, the ministry said.

China and Belarus conducted their first joint training drills for airborne troops in July 2011 in Belarus.

After its delivery to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on Sept. 25, the aircraft carrier has undergone a series of sailing and technological tests, including the flight of the carrier-borne J-15.

Capabilities of the carrier platform and the J-15 have been tested, meeting all requirements and achieving good compatibility, the PLA Navy said.

Since the carrier entered service, the crew have completed more than 100 training and test programs.

The successful flight landing also marked the debut of the J-15 as China's first generation multi-purpose carrier-borne fighter jet, the PLA Navy said.

Designed by and made in China, the J-15 is able to carry multi-type anti-ship, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as precision-guided bombs.

The J-15 has comprehensive capabilities comparable to those of the Russian Su-33 jet and the U.S. F-18, military experts estimated.

Well here they are, the first public pics of Chinese J-15 navalized fighters operating from the LIAONING (EX-VARYAG). It's unclear when these photos were taken, but the aircraft are assigned the China Flight Test Establishment (CFTE) at Xian-Yanliang.